


Violet Wishes

by ExtremeLight9



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Betrayal, Canon-Typical Violence, Depressing Thoughts, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Lots of Crying, OC Villains, Spoilers, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-05-13 11:23:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19250200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtremeLight9/pseuds/ExtremeLight9
Summary: There is a legend of a being that can grant the wishes of any bug, but the deal comes at a great price. When he is set free, Hallownest slowly falls into chaos. The knight is then trapped between saving the crumbling kingdom and destroying the being that can give them everything they longed for.





	1. Voice

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is my first fic in this fandom. This has been sitting at the back of my mind for months and now I finally decided to post it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Hollow Knight. 
> 
> Edit: IMPORTANT! So, I've been referring to the Knight as "he" in the previous version of this chapter and a few people mentioned to me that the character should be referred to as "they" so I went and changed that. Sorry for any trouble. I hope you enjoyed the story.

Somewhere deep within a cave, the sound of rock breaking echoed through the dark.

 

“Are you sure we’re digging in the right place?” the beetle asked, lowering his pickaxe to look at his companion. “We’ve been searching these tunnels for almost four hours,”

 

“Of course I am!” the other muttered without pausing. He then adjusted the light strapped to his helmet before bringing his pickaxe down into the hard rock again. “This where the glyph said it should be. You want that fortune or not?”

 

The first beetle sighed and kept on digging for several minutes until he finally penetrated something. The wall collapsed and they peered inside. There was a huge room on the other side. Old stone statues were scattered around and he felt a chill in the air. They stepped forward to the center of the room where the biggest statue stared down at them. It had four dark eyes and six wings stretching wide across the room. The other statues were turned to face it, some reaching their hand toward it.

 

“Tomb of Hura,” the second murmured excitedly. He went over where a circle etched on the ground with ancient symbols they didn’t understand painted around it. “Let’s get to work,” he raised his pickaxe and brought it down.

 

“Keep digging!” they worked more and more frantically, their anticipation growing with every second, but after a few more hits, the two jerked back when dark purple water burst from the crack they made.

 

“W-what is this?!”

 

The ground beneath them began shaking violently. Deep noises roared from below. “L-let’s get out of here!” His friend screamed and the two of them scrambled away. Darkness continued pouring out of the hole as two shadowy shapes emerged from it.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

 

The little knight walked silently through the abandoned building. They were small and reserved, moving almost without making a sound. They could have easily melted into the shadows if it weren’t for their white head.

 

They stopped when they reached a dead-end. They doubted they can break the wall down with a strike from their weapon and they wished not to waste their soul energy on it. They glanced around until they spotted a crack small enough for them to squeeze through.

 

They didn’t have a name, at least not when they first woke up. They were called many things by the bugs they came across.

 

_“Go away, squib,”_

_“Are you lost, little shadow?”_

_“What brings you here, knight with the hollow gaze?”_

 

Eventually, they gave in and called themselves Ghost, one of the reoccurring things they were referred to. They felt having something like a name was important, even if they didn’t understand why.

 

They pushed themselves out of the crack to find themselves in a new a room. There was old ruined furniture everywhere they looked, but they could see a dusty container hidden in the corner.

 

They stuck their nail into the lid and forced it open, peering inside curiously. A small blue seal was inside. They had no idea what it was, just like almost everything they found in these caves, but it was probably important if it was left in here.

 

Absorbing it under their cape, they glanced over to the nearby window and marched over it. Jumping up, they stared at the moss-covered ruins around for a moment before hopping down.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Cornifer grunted as he carefully walked up the slope, wincing as one of the rocks he had planted his foot on shifted under his weight. He was making his way through some ruins between the Greenpath and the Gardens. He soon reached the top of the slope where a cave was, out of breath. He called. “Hello? Anyone there?”

 

When no reply came, he stepped inside marveling at the faintly glowing mushrooms lighting up the dark. After getting a good look around, he sat down against the wall with his mapping supplies and began to work, humming softly to himself as usual.

 

He didn’t get much of a chance to do much though as a sudden noise made him pause. He glanced over to the other end of the cave where he can see the massive form of a centipede approaching. The beast’s multiple eyes locked onto him and it snapped its pincer together hungrily.

 

Cornifer gulped and frantically picked up his supplies. “O-oh, hello. I didn’t know someone else was living here. I-I’ll be just-”

 

The beast snarled and charged at him. The cartographer cried out and scrambled to the exit, but even after he made it out the beast continued chasing him down the slope.

 

Cornifer suddenly lost his footing and tumbled the rest of the way down, his supplies scattering all around the place. Groaning, he sat up and looked behind to see the beast looming right over him, much to his horror.

 

“S-stay away!” he screwed his eye shut as its pincers closed in on him, but a burst of energy pushed it back.

 

Ghost landed on the grass, panting. When the beast charged again, the knight was quick on their feet, moving at an unusual speed. They went underneath it just as it tried crushing them between its pincers. Running between its many legs, they slashed at each one of them with their nail, jumping out when the thing nearly collapsed over them.

 

Recovering, the beast furiously lunged again. White energy flared around Ghost briefly and they fired a spirit from their hands, sending it tumbling away.

 

It stood dazed for several seconds before scurrying up the slope and back into the darkness of its cave. Now that the danger was gone, Ghost put their nail away and turned to their companion.

 

Cornifer sighed in relief. “T-thank you. I don’t think I’m going back there again,” he sat up and dusted himself. “Say, what brought you to this place anyway, friend?”

 

The little knight made a gesture of opening a folded piece of paper.

 

“Oh, you came looking for me? I’m terribly sorry for having made you come all the way out here then. What map exactly are you looking for…?” he trailed off when he saw his supplies scattered everywhere. Maps including some recently made ones had fallen into the acid river and melted away. “Oh no…”

 

The knight averted their gaze from him.

 

He sighed. “It’s fine. It’s not your fault. I still have some spare supplies back at the shop. I can make the map you want when we’re there,” he then added almost nervously. “Please don’t mention this to my wife, alright? She won’t be happy if she finds out,”

 

Ghost blinked, but nodded anyway. The cartographer was ready to head back to the well entrance at the crossroads, but the knight instead led him to the nearest stag station. Ghost slipped inside it and wasted no time striking the bell.

 

“I don’t think I’ve rode on a stag before. Are you sure we can’t just go to the well?” Cornifer asked, nervous.

 

Ghost shook their head as the ground began shaking as usual and the Last Stag soon stopped over. “Little one, you brought company?” he asked in surprise, having gotten used to carrying his one and only passenger.

 

Ghost tilted their head in a questioning manner. When they first came to Hallownest, they recalled having no idea how to interact with others and spending most of their time silently listening to whatever they had to say. Over time though they managed to pick on a handful of gestures to help them convey their thoughts and feelings. It wasn’t always enough, but it was the best they had.  

 

“It is no trouble,” the old stag said and turned to the tunnel ahead. “Ride when you’re ready,”

 

Ghost simply jumped up and landed on the seat, glancing down at their companion.

 

“Alright, I’m coming,” the older bug sighed in defeat.

 

Soon, the three were rushing down the dark tunnels of Hallownest. Ghost was sitting quietly next to their shaking companion who was gripping the seat like a lifeline when they suddenly sensed something and glanced behind them. There were only lumafly lanterns and darkness, but for whatever reason they sensed something beyond the walls of the tunnel somewhere, something they never sensed before.

 

“Little one, we’re here,”

 

Ghost snapped back to see they had already reached their stop while Conifer was wasting no time climbing down.   

 

“I’m not doing that again,” Cornifer said shakily.

 

“You didn’t like it?” the Stag asked, his large body sagging in disappointment.

 

“No! No! I didn’t mean it like that!” Cornifer panicked. “I-I…I’m just not used to this kind of travelling and-”

 

Ghost ignored the conversation as they stepped closer to the stagway and stared at the deep tunnel, trying to make out anything unusual, but once again they saw nothing.  

 

What was it that they sensed earlier then? If it was an enemy then it was one they never came across before. Deciding eventually not to dwell on it, they went to the elevator. Once they reached the surface, the two headed down the path to the shop. There were many houses here in Dirtmouth, but Ghost realized that all of them were abandoned during their first stay here. Fortunately, many of the bugs they came across during their travels returned to their homes.  

 

The bell chimed as they stepped inside the shop. Iselda snapped out of her bored stupor. “Corny? You’re back much sooner than I expected,”

 

“I lost some of my equipment while exploring ruins, so I came here to fetch some more,” he explained, dipping his head slightly under her suspicious gaze.

 

“Alright…” she said, but didn’t sound like she fully bought his story.

 

Ghost shuffled behind him, reminding the other bug of their presence. “Oh, right. I promised my friend here to make them a map,”

 

She passed him his equipment and he sat down on the ground, scattering quills and notes on the floor. “So, what place do you need a map for?”

 

Ghost held out their own map and gestured to where the Queen’s Gardens should be.

 

“Alright, I remember enough to make you a new one,” he muttered and began working. Ghost sat down and went over their charm collection while they waited.

 

Suddenly, a loud cry from outside startled them. Ghost quickly rushed outside and looked around sharply. They spotted the shopkeeper Sly standing by Elderbug who was shaking by a knocked over bench. Dark slime stained the place.  

 

“What happened?” Cornifer asked them, mindful of the dark matter on the ground.

 

It seemed to take a moment for the older bug to calm down. “M-monster. A monster snatched the girl that was sitting on the bench!”

 

“W-what?! Here in Dirtmouth?” Isleda muttered worriedly. Dirtmouth was always a peaceful town away from the dangers of below, so the news of a beast having gotten here somehow was alarming to say the least.  

 

Sly nodded. “When I heard the noises, I went outside and saw the thing crawling away,” he said, pointing to the dark wastelands beyond the town, and indeed the trail of slime was leading to that direction.

 

Elderbug’s face went downcast. “How could this happen? This was supposed to be the only place left that’s safe…” he murmured crestfallen while the other three continued to talk worriedly among each other.

 

Ghost looked down in thought. They didn’t feel emotions the same way everyone else did. Everything inside them felt….empty. All the feelings they experienced were numbed, less than what they should be based on how expressive everyone else around them was, but they can sense the fear and worry in the older bugs right now and it made them feel they must do something about it.

 

They walked forward, catching everyone’s attention.

 

“W-wait, where are you going?” Cornifer called, walking up to him. Ghost pointed at the trail of slime.

 

“No, it’s dangerous to go alone, little one,” Elderbug said worriedly. “I know you want to help, but-”

 

Ghost shook their head and dashed away as fast as they can, leaving a trail of dust behind them, much to everyone’s surprise. The faint lights of the town soon began to fade from view as they traveled the empty wastelands. They soon stopped when they found a few caves at the end of them. The trail went into the biggest one. They quickly took a seat on a rock once they deemed it safe enough. They didn’t get the chance to prepare back at the village so might as well do it here and now.

 

Spreading their cape, several charms fell out. They didn’t have much time to think about their options so they ended up picking the Long Nail, the Shaman Stone and the Grubsong charm. They stuck the two offensive charms across their nail-wielding arm and then placed the remaining defensive one on their chest, absorbing the rest back under their cape.

 

Wasting no time, they hurried inside the cave, keeping their senses heightened. Their lumafly lamb shined their way through the dark tunnel as they followed the trail.

 

“Help!”

 

The knight ran faster until they spotted a massive form crawling down the tunnel. It was like nothing they ever saw around here, even rivaling Deepnest’s creatures with how abnormal it looked. The creature had a long tail and no legs, using its hands to move forward. Its huge body was dripping and leaking dark purple slime.

 

“Let me go! Help!” Bretta was crying out.

 

Ghost charged their energy and fired a spell at the beast’s back, causing it to drop the girl.

 

The knight took a fighting stance, raising their nail.

 

“White champion! I knew you would come to save me!” Bretta gushed, but then screamed when the monster roared at her. She quickly scrambled past Ghost toward the exit.

 

The knight braced themselves for its first move, but to their surprise, the monster rushed after the girl instead, ignoring them completely.

 

Was it because they were armed?

 

Without a second thought, the knight dashed after the two and jumped, sinking their nail into the creature’s shoulder and causing it to stop.

 

Ghost fell back once the monster’s attention was back on them again. It growled and swiped at them with its claw, but they jumped aside and slashed at the side of its face. Since their earlier attacks didn’t seem to hurt it much, they tried focusing on its head.

 

The monster suddenly opened its mouth and inhaled. Ghost took that as their cue to back away as it released a cloud of purple fog.

 

The monster emerged from the fog and charged at them, screeching. Evading another attack and bouncing off the wall, the knight brought their nail down into the beast’s head.

 

The beast screeched loudly before exploding. The force was enough to knock the knight back. The fog was now everywhere.

 

Landing on the ground again, the knight’s body shook and their vision doubled. Their surroundings twisted and they felt as if they were being pulled from multiple directions. They rolled over on the ground while the fog continued spreading through the tunnel. This was bad. They wanted to stand, to rush back to the exit with Bretta, but their body wouldn’t move. They desperately wished they were _anywhere_ else right now!

 

An idea suddenly hit the knight. _A dream gate!_ They shakily raised their dream nail and enveloped it with pink light.  

 

**XXXXXXXX**

 

A flash of light later and Ghost landed in the middle of the City of Tears, rain pouring down lightly over them. They winced and held themselves tightly as their body continued shaking. They tried healing themselves with whatever SOUL they had left, but the numbness spreading through their body wouldn’t go away. The sound of rain, the lights, the city, everything was fading. They felt smoke coming out of their eye sockets as they finally surrendered to it. They lay there under the endless downpour and the statue’s empty gaze.

 

**XXXXXXXXX**

 

_Ghost couldn’t see anything. There weren’t any walls or floor wherever they were. They were suspended in murky depths, sinking deeper and deeper into the dark below. There were no flickers of light anywhere no matter how far they looked. The waves pushed them further down. Pain burned through their body and made them weaker and weaker._

_They wanted to shout, to cry out, but nothing happened. Their struggling soon ceased and they let themselves drift far down, down into the darkness. They were so tired. Their body was so weak and empty._

_Then, at the end below, they saw it; a faint violet light. As they drew closer and closer to it, they felt it sooth their body and warm it like nothing before. It chased the darkness and pain away, so they welcomed it. Its glow grew brighter and brighter, and brighter-_

 

“Wake up!”

 

Ghost shot up to find themselves sitting on a chair in Lemm’s shop. They looked over to see said Relic Seeker standing over them with his hands on his hips. “So, you’re awake now? Good, good. I don’t think my shop would have survived much more of that,”

 

The knight stared. How did they end up here? What was the other bug talking about? They glanced around and noticed scattered seals and artifacts lying on the ground.

 

“I saw you lying in the rain from my window and had the brilliant idea of bringing you in. For the record, _this-_ ” he gestured to the mess around them. “is why I don’t allow guests in here. You owe me seven, no, _nine_ new relics for what you did!” he huffed and walked over to pick up a king’s seal. “Unless you have something to offer me right now then leave,”

 

The knight ducked their head. Well, they still had that seal they found in the ruins. They pulled it out and carefully hopped off the bench, legs shaking a bit. Something felt different, but they couldn’t tell what. The numbness seemed to be mostly gone at least.

 

Just as they thought that though, they lost their balance and bumped into a small statue, causing it to rock back and forth.

 

“Careful!” Lemm quickly caught it before it hit the ground. He sighed in relief and then glared at the wanderer. “You’re more of a hazard to my wares than I imagined! Do you have any idea how valuable this statue is?”

 

Ghost flinched. “S-sorry,”

 

Lemm put the statue in a position with a satisfied hum and then stiffened, turning back to the equally shocked knight.

 

“Wait, did you just….talk?”


	2. The Dining Nest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks for all the feedback. Here’s the new chapter with more familiar faces. Enjoy!

_“S-sorry,”_

Ghost stood there, frozen. Did that really come out of them? How? They recalled trying to speak many times in the past, but nothing ever happened.

 

“You can talk all this time? Why didn’t you say anything before? Were you just messing with me?” Lemm growled.

 

“N-no, I…I couldn’t.…before….” Ghost struggled to get the words out. Their voice was soft and quiet, yet there was no doubt that it was theirs. Something about being able to speak felt very alien to them. Their body shivered from the wrongness of it all.

 

“Then how come you are right now?” asked Lemm.

 

They shrugged, honestly having no idea. “Fought a monster…got poisoned?…passed out…”

 

Lemm rubbed his beard, eyes narrowed in thought and then huffed. “Bah, that’s for you to figure out. _I_ , on the other hand, have important matters to attend to,” he snatched the seal from Ghost’s hand and was back behind his desk in a flash. He put on his eyepiece and picked up the seal with a pair of small pincers. “Now, out with you. You’ll distract me,” he said, waving his hand.

 

Ghost sighed and walked out of the door, closing it shut. They wandered the wet corridors of the city for a while, striking down every infected husk in their way. Their mind was racing the whole time. How were they able to talk now? Was it just a matter of time situation? Just this morning they couldn’t get a word out, but now they were spewing one after the other, and with each one, they felt the same chill through their body. A voice at the back of their mind was almost hissing at them. _Stop! This is wrong. You shouldn’t._

 

Before long, they were at the edge of the city. They might as well get back to Dirtmouth and see if everyone was alright. Reaching the stag station near the storage area, they hit the bell and waited.

 

And waited.

 

But nobody showed up. The usual sound of the Stag’s heavy footsteps was nowhere to be heard. They walked over and peeked into the dark tunnel. Where could he be? He _always_ came when they hit the bell.  

 

_“The sound of the bell will always call me back,”_

 

That’s what he told Ghost when they first met with great conviction. The knight got the feeling that something was very, very wrong, but they shook their head. Maybe they were over-thinking this. The Stag could be taking another bug somewhere. After all, the stagways were for anyone to use. They couldn’t be the only bug in Hallownest that needed a lift.

 

But that still meant they would have to get back to the town on foot. The thought of that made them heave the greatest sigh possible. They began their long trek back. It was just their luck that Dirtmouth lay the furthest above. A little while later, they were heading through the caves of the Forgotten Crossroads when they came across a pile of weapons and other belongings scattered on the ground. They picked up a helmet and examined it in confusion. Who could have left these here?

 

Suddenly, they sensed something shifting above them and moved out of the way just as a dark tendril tried to crush them. A huge creature fell from the ceiling and landed in front of them resembling a large shell with many tendrils coming out from inside it.

 

The knight felt confused. Was this even a bug?

 

A roar came from within the shell and it began swiping at them with its tendrils. The knight dodged and dashed out of the way as they came at them one after the other without a pause. They didn’t see one in particular coming at them horizontally until it was too late and they were smacked into the cave wall. They staggered and tried to recover from the heavy blow. The creature was closing in, ready to crush them.

 

“Stop right there!”

 

Ghost and the monster turned to see none other Tiso standing proudly with his hands on his hips. “Don’t worry, little squib. This thing won’t be standing long now that I’m here!”

 

Tiso reached for his shield and threw his weight back before flinging it at the monster. It bounced off its thick shell and landed on the ground with a CLUNK.

 

Tiso blinked and raised his finger. “That was a warm-up throw,”

 

The monster roared and grabbed him anyway, slowly bringing him toward the darkness within its shell. Ghost quickly got up and rushed over, jumping to grab onto the panicking bug and coating them both in shadows. They both phased out of its grip and fell on the ground roughly. While Tiso was breathing heavily with a hand over his chest, Ghost saw another tendril coming at them. They fired a spirit, burning the tip of it away.

 

The two watched in shock as the missing part regenerated, as if nothing happened.

 

 _It could do that?!_ The knight thought dreadfully. If that was the case then there was no way they could fight it like this. They could already tell the monster’s shell was out of the question too. They needed to distract it so the two of them could make a run for it. Fortunately, they had collected enough SOUL from the husks on the way here. “Run…when I tell you…” they told Tiso.

 

“What?”

 

Wasting no time, the knight sprinted forward as fast as they could, dashing forward when five tendrils came down at them at once. Once they were close enough to its front, they let out the strongest wail they could muster, shaking the very air in front of them. The monster was knocked over and fell on its back. Ghost began dashing away. “Go!”

 

But before the two could really do anything, several stalactites fell over the monster, crushing it instantly. Ghost was taken aback by the sudden intervention. It did save them, but how did it-

 

They heard a few grunts from up above before a figure landed in front of them. “Hello, little wanderer,” Quirrel smiled, tucking his nail away. “I see I couldn’t have passed by at a better time,”

 

Ghost sighed in relief, glad to see the scholar again. Quirrel turned to face the dead monster. “What a strange creature, never seen one like it before,”

 

Ghost glanced down at the slime on the ground. Quirrel may have not, but they have. This was the same dark slime from the other beast from this morning. They had many questions, but their train of thought was dashed instantly.

 

“What a splendid victory! Great work you two!” Tiso exclaimed, appearing behind them. Ghost forgot he was here. He walked over to the corpse of the beast, beaming. “After saving Hallownest from this foul beast I believe it’s fitting we celebrate our victory, don’t you think?”

 

 _Our victory?_ Something about that didn’t sound right to the knight.  

 

“Well, I guess,” Quirrel replied, rubbing his chin in consideration. Tiso nodded and walked past them.

 

“Lucky for us I know exactly the perfect place! Follow me!”

 

The two exchanged looks. “Very well then,” Quirrel shrugged and they did just that.

 

**\--------**

 

Tiso ended up taking them the opposite direction of Dirtmouth, much to Ghost’s dismay. They followed him until they reached a cliff at the edge of the kingdom. A small brightly lit building lay ahead of them with “The Dining Nest,” painted neatly in the sign over the front door.

 

“Come on, it’s great. I promise,” Tiso said, running ahead of them and swinging the door open.

 

As the three stepped inside, the aroma of food immediately hit them alongside the sounds of cluttering plates and chatter. Ghost was caught off guard at the sight of flies going around the place, carrying plates and dishes back and forth from the customer tables. They watched them carry away dirty plates from some miners while four flies were struggling to lift a plate of meat lumps to a rough looking mantis with an eye patch.

 

“Hurry up, I know where the best table is,” Tiso strode ahead while the knight and Quirrel were looking around curiously. The restaurant’s walls were painted in lilac with several lumafly lights lined up across the ceiling. The air inside was very warm. A cockroach was sitting over a table playing a string instrument with six bug-like legs on its sides while another was playing alongside him with a soft tune from her flute.

 

The place was bustling with life compared to outside.

 

“Here were are!” Tiso muttered, leading them to a table by the window. He and Quirrel easily slipped into their seats facing each other. Ghost tried sitting next to the scholar. The only view they had was of Tiso’s legs and the stains underneath the table.

 

“Such a lovely place! Wouldn’t you agree, wanderer- Oh dear,” Quirrel mumbled when he noticed their dilemma.

 

Tiso raised a brow. “Can’t you stand?”

 

Ghost tried doing that and Quirrel shook his head. “I highly doubt that would be comfortable for them!”

 

A tall fly lady suddenly came over. “Hello, darlings. How can I….?” her cheerful demeanor immediately vanished the moment she laid her eyes on them, or specifically their blue dressed companion. “Oh, it’s _you_ ,”

 

“Heh. Hi, Frinda. How you’ve been?” Tiso asked. Ghost was caught off guard when he realized the other bug actually sounded _nervous_.

 

“Great,” she smiled while maintaining a death grip on her pencil.

 

“Say, can you help our friend over here?” he asked, gesturing at the knight. They peeked at her from their low position.

 

“No problem, little one. Just give me a moment,” she said and whispered something to one of the flies passing by. They nodded and went away for a moment before returning with a-

 

 _Oh._ Ghost thought as a large pillow was dropped in front of them. Quirrel muttered a quiet ‘hold on’ as he lifted them up with one hand and placing it on their seat with the other. “There, much better!”

 

It gave them a decent view of the table at least, though they were sure they heard snickers coming from somewhere in the restaurant.

 

“Now what can I get for you?” Frinda asked, somehow sounding like she wanted to get this over with more than Ghost did now.

 

Tiso picked up a folded a piece of paper and looked over it. “Let’s see…I really liked the fried plum dish the first time I was here, so I’ll have that along with some sweet root juice,” he then passed it to Quirrel.

 

The scholar’s eyes scanned the menu thoroughly while he rubbed his chin. “Well, uh, I do feel a bit famished from my last trip. I think I’ll have…a roasted fish and I would also like to try this _Red Garden_ _tea_ , please. It sounds interesting,” He tilted the menu so the knight could get a look at it.

 

They felt lost at the numerous names that they had no idea what they meant. They didn’t eat food, never needed to, so they felt unsure about all of this. Still, they had to order something. “…moss….soup?”

 

Frinda wrote everything down and hummed. “Alright, I’ll be right back,” she said curtly. Ghost watched her leave and then felt a stare coming from Quirrel.

 

They tilted their head questioningly, snapping him out of whatever he was thinking. “Oh, sorry. I just…never heard you talk before. That’s all,” he laughed. They weren’t very good at reading other bugs, but they could almost feel something in his voice betraying what he was saying. He quickly turned his attention to Tiso. “So, pardon me, but I don’t think we’ve properly introduced each other. I’m Quirrel, a traveler you could say,”

 

“Tiso. I’ve come from a far away colony in the north. I used to serve the ant queens,” he said, puffing his chest.

 

“You served queens?” the scholar muttered, leaning closer with intrigue.

 

The other faltered. “Well, no. I mean-all of us _technically_ do, but that’s beside the point! The way things work there is rather simple. Thousands of us are chosen from young age to become worker bugs while others become warriors protecting the four queens and the colony. The worker bugs are mostly stuck to mining minerals, managing the supplies and digging new tunnels to expand the kingdom,”

 

“I see, I see. What did the colony look like from the inside, if you don’t mind telling?” he asked carefully, mind seemed to be whirring.

 

Tiso hummed in thought and began snatching the cups and napkins on the table including the ones in front of the two and stacking them over each other like a hive. “Imagine a deep hole with dozens of houses built together in every corner like… _this_ all the way down. That’s usually what one residential area would look like. It’s easy to get lost since there are so many rooms and pathways to wander in, not that I personally ever struggled with that,” he nudged a cup on the side with his finger to fit in with the rest. “And we also had a tunnel connecting us to the surface,”

 

“Really?!” Quirrel practically had a glint in his eyes now.

 

“Yeah, but only a handful of bugs are allowed to ascend to the Above World. I tried to sneak up there myself many times in the past, but I…was caught every time,” he admitted, mumbling the last part with great reluctance.

 

“Now you have me wishing I could visit your homeland! What was the reason for you coming here though?” Quirrel asked. Ghost was actually wondering that too.

 

Tiso leaned back against his seat with a huff, arms crossed. “Well, I guess life just grew too monotonous for me to take so I left one night to explore the lands. During my journey, I heard many tales of this kingdom and how it holds the mightiest of warriors. Many of them are actually down there right now,” he pointed at something beyond the window. Ghost had to stand up again and lean over just to see it.

 

Down below them stood the Coliseum of Fools in all of its grim glory. The knight didn’t realize they were near it all this time. Bright lights were shinning within the building. If they strained their hearing enough over the ruckus of the restaurant, they could make out the loud cheers as large bugs with spiky armor went through the maw-like entrance one by one.

 

“Once I’m done preparing, I’ll be going in there too and rise on top with my mighty shield!” he presented his weapon on the table and wiggled his finger at Quirrel before he could say anything. “Now don’t be fooled by the way it looks. It may look like a simple shield, but it actually hides a deadly secret,” he added with a grin, patting the shield in an almost proud manner.

 

“Oh, I see,” Quirrel nodded, amused.

 

Ghost did the equivalent of an eye roll. They spent the next few minutes watching the other customers while Tiso went on about how there were so many residents in his colony that over fifty bugs might end up having the same name. They were also pretty sure Quirrel was going over the menu for the third time as if trying to memorize every single detail in it.

 

Finally, several flies flew over and dropped off their food in front of them. His two companions dug in immediately though one was more graceful than the other. Ghost stared at their bowl of steaming green…soup, they supposed, or whatever they were looking at in uncertainty. They eventually dipped their hand into it and the soup began slowly disappearing. They nearly lurched at the horrid taste that filled their mind, but continued absorbing it anyway.

 

The knight suddenly paused when they noticed everyone had stopped what they were doing, including their two companions, to stare at them.

 

“…what?” Ghost muttered.

 

“Why didn’t I listen to my mother?” Frinda lamented with a sigh a few feet away and walked past them.

 

“Uh, it’s nothing. It’s nothing!” Quirrel told the knight reassuringly.

 

The knight titled their head in confusion and finished their soup. While they waited for the other two to do the same, their mind began wandering elsewhere.

 

They had been pushing this at the back of their mind long enough. There was no denying there was some kind of connection between the two attacks. Those strange creatures just started appearing out of nowhere and kidnapping bugs for some reason. It’s becoming more and more difficult for them to shrug it off as just confidences. They blocked out the music and the laughter around them as they stared out of the window into the darkness of the caves.

 

Whatever was going on, they needed to find answers and stop it before it spread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Swarm the City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry for taking some time with this chapter. I had a lot of ideas for this one, but it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to put them together. Anyway, thanks for all the feedback and I hope you enjoy it. The action will start picking up from here on out.

Still in the middle of preparing for their long descent, Ghost was looking between the Sharp Shadow charm and the SOUL Eater in their hands and sighed, pulling off the ones they had on and absorbing everything back. Choosing was a lot harder this time than it used to be because if there was one thing in common between how the two previous battles turned out it was the fact that they barely made it out alive every time. There was no knowing what these beasts were capable of or what weaknesses they had that the knight can exploit.

 

Meanwhile, the cockroaches’ music in the background went from upbeat to calm. Tiso was slumped against his seat, rubbing his stomach while Quirrel was looking over a large lax beetle behind them who had his face buried in a plate of yellow mush.

 

“-Anyway, I couldn’t help noticing the weapon you have right here,” the scholar said, peering down at the hammer set on the ground. It looked almost tribal in design, with two sharp bones at each end with spiral engravings on them. “It is very well made. Where exactly was it forged? How did you-”

 

The beetle turned to Quirrel with his mouth dripping yellow, letting out a deafening roar and getting mush all over the scholar’s face before returning to his food.

 

Quirrel sank back in his seat. “It seems not everybody here is very friendly,”

 

“Eh, a lot of these bugs are competitors from the coliseum so it’s to be expected,” Tiso shrugged and pushed a napkin across the table to him.

 

“If you say so,” Quirrel sighed and used it to clean his face. He glanced to Ghost. “I see you’re ready to head off again, little wanderer,” they nodded. “May I ask you where you’re heading?”

 

They paused, unsure if they should share with him what happened today or not. The thought of having someone to fight with them was not all that bad of an idea, but the knight always ventured alone. They preferred solitary work. And because of that none would get caught in harm’s way if things go out of hand, which tended to happen a lot on their travels. “To hunt,” they said vaguely.

 

The scholar blinked, not expecting that. “Oh, well, you’re certainly full of surprises. I wish you luck then,” he laughed while whipping off a stain on his forehead.

 

“You know the rules, mister. No weapons on the floor!” Frinda scolded as she came over. The lax beetle grumbled under his breath and picked up his hammer.

 

“So, did you enjoy your food?” she asked them pleasantly.

 

Quirrel beamed. “Most certainly! I haven’t had a finer meal in a while. Your tea is great too,”

 

Ghost still didn’t know what to think about their moss soup, but they didn’t what to sound rude so they offered a nod to that.

 

Frinda giggled with a hand over her chest. “I’m glad to hear that, darlings. You can come back whenever you like,”

 

Tiso grinned. “Thank you, Frinda. I’ll be sure to-”

 

“Not you,” she said offhandedly and left, making him slump.

 

Quirrel cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, pardon me for intruding, but what exactly happened between you two?”

 

The ant flinched. “Uh, actually, there’s no time for that. I should be on my way now. Preparations to be done and champions to fight, you know?” He laughed nervously.

 

Standing up, he hurriedly led them to the other end of the restaurant where a big statue of a fly sitting on the floor with a painted cauldron clutched in its hands. Beside the statue was even a bigger baldur with a permanent scowl on his face.

 

Curious, Ghost hopped up and grabbed onto the edge of the cauldron to peek inside. It was filled with Geo. “Get off!” yelled the baldur. The knight did just that and backed away.

 

“Alright, that’s ten…twenty…thirty,” Tiso counted the Geo in his hands and dropped the pile into the cauldron. Ghost saw the baldur nod and his eyes shifted to the remaining two.

 

“Alright, the squib pays ten and Quirrel fifty,” Tiso said only to pause at Quirrel. It was then the knight realized he was standing frozen in place with a blank look on his face.

 

“What’s the matter with you?” Tiso waved his hand in front of him, snapping him out of his trance.

 

“Are you…alright?” Ghost asked.

 

“Ah, I’m fine…I realized just now that…I’m not carrying any Geo,” he admitted.

 

A long pause followed his answer.

 

Tiso stepped closer, grabbed his shoulders and turned him with away from the view of the guard, whispering harshly. “ _What_ _do you mean you’re not carrying any?!_ ”

 

“I-I don’t have any Geo. I never needed it during my travels,”

 

_“Then why did you order anything at all?!”_

 

Quirrel looked ready to melt into the floor in shame. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! My memory’s….full of holes and I sometimes forget things like this. I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he said, nervously rubbing his hands together like mad. Tiso groaned in exasperation. “Should we tell him?”

 

“Of course not, that’s how you get squashed!” he said and Quirrel gaped.

 

“Then…what do I do?”

 

They glanced back at the guard who was now eyeing them suspiciously. “We’ll have to ask the little squib to distract him while you sneak away through a window,”

 

 _“WHA-”_ Quirrel covered his mouth and whispered anxiously. “What?”

 

“I said you need to run,”

 

 “I can’t do that. That’ll be most terrible!” he stammered, shaking at the idea.

 

“What other choice is there?” Tiso hissed, throwing his hands in the air. By now almost everyone was watching the two bicker in hushed whispering. The knight looked back and forth between them unsure before pulling out a bag from underneath their cloak and tapping Quirrel’s leg. The two stopped and stared at them.

 

“You…will pay for me, little wanderer?” Quirrel asked and they nodded.

 

“Well, never mind then,” Tiso shrugged, pulling away from the scholar.

 

“Thank you, friend. I…I truly appreciate it,” Quirrel picked up the bag and put in the required amount of Geo for himself and the knight. A soft murmur came from underneath him.

 

“Ghost…”

 

“What?”

 

“Ghost,” they repeated, pointing at themselves.

 

Quirrel blinked several times before realizing that he never actually got their name. “I can’t believe it. We met each other all around the kingdom and yet I never knew your name!” he laughed to himself and knelt down, giving them the bag back. “It’s an interesting one you have, but I think it suits you, in a good way,”

 

Ghost tilted their head, but decided not to dwell on that.

 

The moment of peace didn’t last. Something akin to a tremor shook the air, causing panicked cries to ring through the Dining Nest. Some were grabbing onto their seats and tables for their lives. A chilling stillness then followed it, as if everyone was waiting breathlessly for the whole cavern to collapse over their heads at any second.  

 

“W-what was that?” Frinda muttered, pulling herself up and away from the shattered cups on the floor.

 

“It…sounded like it came from the caves beneath us,” Quirrel noted, looking down at the floor.

 

The knight stiffened. Right beneath them was-

 

They were out of the door before anyone could react.

 

“Wait!” Quirrel was quick to follow them. Tiso stopped to snatch a plum cake from the plate of a distracted miner before running off after the two.

 

The knight hopped down the cliff and landed on the familiar path toward the elevator.

 

When they made it down with their two companions, the knight went around and pressed themselves against the glass to see what was happening. They were thrown off by what they saw. The once shimmering heart of Hallownest was in complete disarray. All the streets were swarming with rampaging husks. Their numbers were terrifying, roaming the pathways like violent waves.

 

 _How did this happen?_ The city wasn’t like this when they left it a few hours ago!

 

They gasped when a husk suddenly slammed against the window, growling. Pinpricks of light were pouring out of its empty eyes as it tried to break through. “Um, what is happening?” Tiso asked, backing away.

 

“I-I don’t know. I never seen husks behave this way before,” Quirrel admitted.

 

Husks normally never went out of their way to wreck the place they were haunting. And even then, where did so many of them come from?

 

The knight turned around and headed the other direction.

 

“Ghost, where are you going?” Quirrel asked.

 

“Fight them,”

 

He ran after them, trying to stop them before they took off again. “That’s probably not a wise idea, friend. There’s too many of them. We should leave before it gets too dangerous,”

 

“Ha! What mighty warrior runs away from a challenge?” Tiso scoffed, taking out his shield and marching ahead. “I’m heading down with the little squib,”

 

“But-”

 

“They need help,” Ghost insisted, not wanting to flee when there could be some bugs still trapped down there.

 

The scholar sighed in defeat. “Alright,”

 

Wasting no time, they hurried down the tower to find everything in chaos. Infected husks were breaking into buildings in massive rows. Sentries were storming their way through the corridors, swinging their blades almost blindly at anything in their way.

 

Quirrel gasped when a spear zipped past him, barely missing his shoulder. A sentry flew down into their view, its eyes wild. “Fall! You must fall!” it yelled in an angry daze.

 

“What?” they all exchanged looks with each other. The sentry ignored their confusion and dove with the tip of its spear aimed at them. Quirrel swiftly bounced off a nearby wall and struck it down from the air

 

They looked over the fallen sentry cautiously. “I don’t understand. Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?” Quirrel said, scratching his head.  

 

As they went further on, the knight spotted a gathering of husks around a piece of debris and realized someone was sitting on top of it. It was that lady, Emilitia.

 

“Hang in there, lady!” Tiso exclaimed as they rushed over to her.

 

“What? No, no. Everything’s fine! I’m not any danger,” she said cheerily, leaving them dumbfounded.

 

“Is….is she serious?” Tiso asked Quirrel who shrugged.

 

The husks suddenly knocked over the pillar, sending her falling into the ground with a cry. Channeling SOUL into their body and nail, the knight quickly slipped among the group and finished them with a cyclone slash. They then turned to face the last one. It grinned.

 

“The light….the light in the depths….so beautiful…” It cackled before stumbling away. Ghost lowered their nail, puzzled while their two companions went over to Emilitia.

 

Tiso strode proudly as they helped her up. “You’re alright now. No need to-”

 

Before he could finish, she pushed both of them off, knocking them over. “Don’t touch me, peasants,” she said haughtily, dusting herself. “Just as before, I will survive!” she laughed merrily as she ran off.

 

“Thanks a lot, lady!” Tiso yelled.

 

Quirrel just sighed and pulled himself up. The knight approached him.

 

“What did it mean?” they asked, referring to the husk.

 

The other paused and rubbed his chin for a moment. “To be honest, I don’t think it meant anything at all but merely rambling words at you. Husks aren’t conscious enough for something like that,”

 

 _Was it?_ Ghost wondered, thinking over what it said. Some of the things it mentioned sounded almost familiar, but their memory was too foggy to recall why.  

 

“When a bug is infected, it does more than just take over their body. At first, the bug might look and behave like normal, but on the inside, their sense of self and consciousness are deteriorating, which is why it’s near impossible to communicate with husks and-”

 

Tiso poked his head between them. “Hey, can you two save this for another time when we’re _not_ surrounded by the dead?”

 

Quirrel blinked and rubbed his head sheepishly. “Err, right. Sorry,” he cleared his throat and turned to the knight. “Is there anyone else you need us to look for, Ghost?”

 

They crossed their arms and tried to think for a moment, going over all the residence of the city they encountered. It then hit them. “Lemm!”

 

They quickly rushed down the street, slashing their way through the swarm and getting forced later on to use buildings and balconies to get around when the waves of infected grew thicker ahead.

 

They froze when the window of Lemm’s shop came into view.

 

It was shattered.

 

 _No!_ Without a thought, Ghost jumped against the wall behind them, eyes on the window while glowing pink crystals materialized under their feet. They launched themselves, the wind and the falling rain whipping them in the face as they zipped through the air and disappeared inside.

 

“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait for them to come back,” said Quirrel after catching up on the balcony.

 

“And let the little squib have all the glory of the fight?!” Tiso huffed and began climbing down determinately. Since he couldn’t use the same method of getting inside the building, he would have to find another way in.  

 

Quirrel watched the ant descend and then looked at the gap between him and the shop’s window. He took a few steps back and leaped onto one of the dreamers’ statue, muttering a quick ‘sorry’ to it before jumping to the building’s wall and climbing the rest of the way up.

 

Tiso was panting as he got near the bottom of the building and glanced down where a sea of husks awaited him. He sighed.

 

“Ant queens, save me,”

 

**XXXXXXXX**

 

It’s safe to say that Lemm had seen a lot of strange things in his life. He had been around for a long time so it was a given, but an infected invasion and a giant of a bug breaking into his shop in the same day was not something he could have saw coming.

 

The intruder had four arms, a curved horn on his head with two nails interestingly on his back. His armor was cobalt blue and had a rough look to it. A curious looking amulet with a violet gem was hanging around his neck.

 

“Get out!” Lemm growled from behind his desk.

 

“You should really consider my offer. I truly mean we could give you _anything_ you want,” the intruder said.

 

“And what I want is for you to get out!” he snapped back, pointing at the shattered window.

 

The other bug sighed and pulled out one of his nails, putting the sharp edge of it close to Lemm’s neck. It was thick with a pattern of jagged teeth at the sides. Dual wing-like lines were carved across the blade. “How about you choose your words better, you old fossil? I’m not above using force, so try to be a bit more cooperative,”

 

Lemm huffed. “If you’re trying to intimidate me then you should have come at a better time than after the apocalypse,” he replied grouchily.

 

The warrior looked surprised and then scowled, forcefully driving his nail into the table with a roar and making the shop keeper flinch. He yanked the blade, leaving a large tear in the wood. “Fine then! That attitude will serve you well down the Fountain,” he threatened coldly, grabbing him with one hand.

 

Suddenly, the knight flew into the room and stopped mid-air, striking the warrior’s shoulder with their nail. Landing on the floor, they took a fighting pose. It didn’t take long for Quirrel to follow in, hand hovering over the handle of his weapon.

 

“Sorry, whoever you are, but you’re not taking him,” Quirrel said curtly.

 

The warrior looked between them and raised a brow, dropping the relic seeker in his chair. “Well then. I wasn’t expecting any resistance in this dead city, but I don’t really mind,” he said, unsheathing his second nail.

 

 _He uses both?_ Ghost thought, surprised.

 

“Don’t you dare fight in my shop!” shouted Lemm.

 

The warrior went in and slashed. The two evaded his attacks one by one. It’s clear that their opponent possessed a lot of strength from the sheer force behind them, but he seemed to be struggling to fight in such a small space.

 

Lemm was ducked under his desk as blades clashed. Ghost lunged. He thrust his nail at them, but they phased through it in the last second and struck his leg, causing him to gasp and fall on his knee.

 

Quirrel took the chance and leaped up; bringing his nail down for his head, but the other used his second nail to block it. In that moment of distraction, one of the two free hands snatched him from the air. “Got you!” he slammed him into the floor, knocking the wind out of him and sending his nail skittering across the floor. 

 

Ghost prepared to use a spell, but they stopped when they realized Quirrel will get caught in the blast no matter which one they use. They felt trapped and their enemy seemed to catch onto that.

 

Just as he about to crush Quirrel, something flashed in his eyes, making him let go of him. The pill bug exhaled the second he was free from the devastating weight. Without so much as sparing them a glance, he walked to the shattered window and leaped out of it, leaving them confused.

 

The knight put their nail away and approached their friend, concerned.

 

“D-don’t worry, I’ll be okay,” Quirrel grunted, arms shaking as he tried to push himself up. They looked back to Lemm who was picking up his fallen artifacts, grumbling things in a language they didn’t know.

 

“Are you alright,” they asked him.

 

“Yes, yes. I’m fine,” he answered, waving his hand irritably without looking back at them.

 

Just then, the door to the shop was pushed open and a disheveled Tiso barged in, slamming it shut with his back. “They’re everywhere! I barely got in!” he stammered, thoughts of battle completely gone from his mind at the moment.

 

Ghost tensed up. “Let’s leave,”

 

“I agree with that,” Quirrel nodded.

 

“Well, I don’t,” said Lemm.

 

“What?!”

 

The old bug turned away. “This shop is where I keep all my relics, my life’s work. I would rather go down with this place than to leave it behind,”

 

They all stared at him in disbelief. Tiso rubbed his temples. “Look, I know I’m the new bug around here, but _why is nobody in this city afraid of dying?!_ ”

 

“While I admire your dedication to your craft, sir, I think it’s best if you come with us,” Quirrel reasoned gently.

 

“If you wish to run away then go ahead, but I’m not abandoning my collection!” Lemm snapped stubbornly.

 

Ghost glanced at the broken window. If they didn’t get out of here soon they will all be joining the infected very soon. They looked over to the artifacts left on the table in thought and were then hit with an idea.

 

They hopped onto the table, snapping the three out of their arguing and angering Lemm. “Hey, what are you doing? Get down right now!”

 

They spread their cloak wide, absorbing every single thing on the table. They glanced back to the stunned three. “Help me,”

 

“I guess we’re doing this now,” Tiso sighed and quickly grabbed the knight in his hands, going over to the shelves and holding them out. The artifacts, the eggs, and fossils were all pulled into the endless void of their body.

 

“No, no! Stop that! You’ll mess them up!” Lemm protested and stormed over to them.

 

“Quirrel, get Cranky Grandpa out of here!” Tiso yelled.

 

“I’m very sorry,” Quirrel said apologetically before throwing his arms around Lemm and leading him to the exit. “Sir, please. Let’s go!”

 

“Let go of me! _You disrespectful-_!” he thrashed all the way until they were out of the door.

 

The knight went around the shop absorbing everything they saw while Tiso covered them. The moans and growls of the infected were echoing throughout the building, leaving them on edge the entire time.

 

“Okay, that _had_ to be everything, right? Can we leave now?” Tiso asked nervously and shrieked when husks poked their heads through the window, hands reaching out for them. He smacked them away with his shield and sent them falling down.

 

Ghost’s eyes scanned their surroundings for anything they might have missed, wanting to be thorough. They went behind Lemm’s desk and noticed a hidden hatch. They pulled it open and paused. “Ah…”

 

“W-what?” Tiso muttered.

 

The knight didn’t answer him, but they knew they personally won’t like this.

 

Meanwhile, Quirrel and Lemm were making their way through the buildings. Enemies were lunging at them from the shadows. Whenever Quirrel struck some down, more came crawling down from the walls. He remained by the relic seeker’s side at all times who had eventually stopped resisting and followed him begrudgingly.

 

They were exhausted by the time they made it to safety by the bridge leading to the Fungal Wastes.

 

“Ugh, I’m not used to this much running,” Lemm complained, kneeling and out of breath.

 

“It’s okay. I think we’re out of danger here,” said Quirrel, trying to shake the infection off his nail. “We should wait for my companions to come out though,”

 

“Where are those two anyway?”

 

As if on cue, they saw Tiso sprinting toward them with the knight slung over his shoulder.

 

“I’m very glad you two made it out,” Quirrel said.  

 

“Took your time,” added Lemm.

 

“Well, we would have gotten out sooner if you didn’t have the _kingdom’s vault_ hidden under your desk! Where did even get all that Geo?!” Tiso snapped, panting.

 

 “…none of your concern,” he replied hotly, crossing his arms.

 

“Are they alright?” Quirrel asked in concern, looking over at the knight.

 

Tiso laughed breathlessly. “You won’t believe this little bug! They have the _entire_ shop hoarded under their cloak!”

 

“Never…again,” Ghost groaned on his shoulder. When he set them down, they wobbled and held their stomach. Lemm stared at them and ran a hand over his face.

 

“Alright, now that I’m out here and my belongings are…secured, _where_ exactly am I supposed to go?”

 

That…that actually never occurred to the knight. They shook the dizziness away and tried to think of where they could drop him off. They realized then the safest place to go to. “Dirtmouth?”

 

Lemm tilted his head, face scrunching up. “That small town far above?” When they nodded, his disappointment showed, probably been hoping for a grander place. He surprised them by not arguing this time and motioned for them to move along with a sigh. “Let’s be on our way then,”

 

While their two companions walked ahead with Tiso gushing to Quirrel about what happened in the shop, the knight noticed Lemm staring at the city gate with a tired look on his face. It was different from any other time they saw the grumpy old relic seeker.

 

When he caught their stare, his face immediately hardened again and he turned away.

 

They stood there alone, watching the entrance guarded by the statue of the Great Knight and the grand city in chaos beyond it.

 

_“The gates of the city have been sealed,”_

_“None shall enter,”_

_“None shall leave,”_

 

They now understood what the glyph had meant. The king had tried desperately to save the city from falling to the infection, but it had been futile. The infection had got in long before even the knight arrived in this kingdom.

 

They turned and walked after the others. Quirrel noticed their slow stride and smiled faintly. “Hey, it’s alright. We helped as many as we could escape. That counts for something, right?”

 

 _A tall statue, standing in the endless rain, drenched and worn out._ They didn’t understand why. It didn’t make any sense, but the thought left a stinging feeling within them.

 

“Yes,”

 

**XXXXXXXXXX**

 

The trek took even longer than it usually did this time since they were escorting someone, who was very open about he felt about the entire trip, and they had to take breaks every now and then. Nearly two hours later, they were finally climbing out of the well. Ghost was ready to drop and rest on the dirt at that point. The same went for the others.

 

“So this is it?” Lemm asked, eyes scanning the area with a raised brow.

 

“Not an eventful place I tell you,” Tiso yawned, stretching his arms. Before they could respond, a deep voice surprised them.

 

“Little one!” Elderbug came over and pulled the knight to his chest. Cornifer and his wife poked their heads at the noise and looked relieved after seeing them. “We were so worried when the young girl returned without you!”

 

“Are you alright? You’ve been gone for a whole day,” Cornifer asked.

 

Ghost was caught off guard by, well, all of this. They didn’t think their long disappearance would cause such worry. Still, they nodded.

 

“Well, we’re glad you’re back. Who are your friends?” Isleda said, peeking at the three behind them.

 

“Relic seeker Lemm. I’m moving in here….I suppose. I’m from the capital,”

 

“Oh, well, this town has been abandoned for years, so you are free to take whichever house you like. Nobody lives in most of them anyway,” Elderbug said.

 

“Excuse me for asking, but why would you leave the capital to stay in such a small town?” Cornifer asked curiously, his antennas falling when that earned him a look from his wife.

 

“Because the city has become an uninhabitable husk nest,” Lemm said rather bluntly, but then again the knight didn’t know how else they would have expected him to respond.

 

“What? How?” Cornifer asked while everyone else mirrored his surprise.

 

Lemm grunted and looked away. “That city had withstood the passing of time like nothing else in this kingdom, but it seems someone, somewhere, didn’t want it to look as fine as it did anymore…so this happened,”

 

The knight stared at him, feeling as lost as everyone. How did that work?

 

“Mister Lemm, what do you mean? What you just said…really makes no sense,” Quirrel asked.

 

“The knight who broke into my shop said his name was Seron and told me a lot of…interesting things,” Lemm turned to them, face grim. “I think I have an idea what’s been happening,”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Just want to let guys know that I’m gonna be working on some art for this fic. I’ll be updating you on how that goes.


	4. Buried Legend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks for all the support. This chapter is the longest of the bunch so far, but it covers a lot of important stuff. 
> 
> Also, I made some drawings for two scenes in this chapter. I’m not that great at drawing, but I really wanted to make something for you guys and this story. 
> 
> Here's the link. Feel free to check them out whenever you can. https://www.deviantart.com/extremelight9

Somewhere in Greenpath, Hornet was dashing through the ruins until she stopped in front of a small dome-shaped building. Moss covered the roof and other sorts of greenery grew around it. It almost looked abandoned if it weren’t for the smoke rising from the small chimney.

 

She knocked on the door before going in. All sorts of equipment and other junk she wouldn’t be able to name were set around for every eye to see. “Medow? Are you here?”

 

The sound of something crashing rang from the back room beyond the desk. A large shield bug poked his head through the doorway in a dark grey coat with four pockets. Two antennas were dangling in front of his face, which immediately perked up after seeing her. “Oh, it’s you! I haven’t seen you in a while, little girl,”

 

“And it seems this place hasn’t changed much since my last visit,” She noted as she walked around the random contraptions scattered haphazardly on the stone floor.

 

He laughed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. “My apologies. You know how messy it gets whenever ideas fill my head,” He smiled and knocked on the side of his head. “So, what can I do for you?

 

“I would like to replenish my tool supply,”

 

“Oh, yes, yes. Certainly! Just a moment,” he turned and hurried back inside the back room, filling the shop with cluttering noises once again.

 

The protector of the ruins sighed and sat on one of the chairs. Honestly, dealing with someone this cheery was beyond out of what she preferred, but she supposed it wasn’t so bad to see a friendly face nowadays.

 

“Here you go!” Medow muttered, placing the tool spheres on the desk. Based on the symbols, they were mostly spike balls and a few bombs. Far less than what she used to get, but she could manage. She placed the Geo on the table and swept the spheres away, hiding them inside her dress so they could be within reach at all times. “Thank you,”

 

She was about to turn away when he called out for her. “Wait!” she glanced back to see him sticking his four hands inside his pockets, something he did whenever he was nervous. “I…I actually need your help with something. You see, I have a package that needs to be delivered today. Normally, I have someone to take care of these kinds of errands, but he got hurt during a trip to Fog Canyon and can’t work for a few days. So…”

 

She gave him a firm look. “I don’t have time for that. I should be heading somewhere right now,”

 

He threw himself over the desk, looking at her pleadingly. “Please, it’s just for today. The place is not very far, I promise!”

 

Hornet stared him down for a bit and then gave in with a sigh when he didn’t drop it. “Fine, hurry up,”

 

“Yes! Thank you!” he beamed, clapping with all four before bending down and fumbling with something. He peeked at her. “You might need a net for this,”

 

She raised a brow and sat back down, her hands making quick work of the threads she had and turning them into a perfect net.

 

Medow came over and slowly placed the box inside it. “Please be very careful with this. My client’s name is Gorin and he is quite picky. He might send it back if it had the _slightest_ scratch,”

 

“Then you should find better clients,” she huffed, slinging the package over her shoulder.

 

His smile fell a little as he handed her the map. “I’m just happy to have any customers at all these days,” he said and her annoyance somewhat faded.

 

“I’ll be on my way now,” she began making her way to the door.

 

“Good luck!” he called out.

 

Hornet’s mind wandered to her recent encounter with the knight at the end of the kingdom. She wanted to believe she made the right decision back there, but the wisp of doubt at the back of her mind told her over and over that she was making a mistake, that she was putting everything at risk by siding with the dangerous being. She could tell their power had grown alarmingly so since their first fight.

 

She was taught from a young age to always follow her instinct and never hesitate. That’s how she survived this long on her own. Now she wasn’t so sure anymore and she hated that. 

 

Having refrained from sprinting and slinging her way through the cavern, she found the place marked on the map nearly half an hour later. _So much for not taking too long,_ she thought with a sigh.

 

She approached the entrance, pausing when she noticed pieces of Geo scattered around. “What?” she picked up a piece in confusion and slowly followed the growing trail until she found a giant pile towering over her with an old bug sitting on top of it. He was throwing the Geo in the air and cackling madly to himself.

 

“Gorin?” she muttered, trying to get his attention.

 

A deep scowl took over Gorin’s face and he threw his weight over the pile. “Hey, what are you doing here? And how did you get that?!”

 

She looked down at the piece in her hand.

 

“Give it back! This fortune, all of it is mine, mine, **_mine!_** ” he yelled, a wild look in his eyes.

 

She dropped it on the ground. “I have no interest in your Geo,” she replied evenly and held out the net. “I was sent by Medow. I have the package you asked for,”

 

He scoffed. “Throw that junk away! I have no use for it. Not when I have all of this!” he fell back, laughing in pure glee.

 

Hornet wasn’t sure what to make of any of this. What now? Should she head back to Medow and tell him what happened?

 

“Ooh, looks like we have another visitor! Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect!” a new feminine voice said.

 

A bug suddenly stepped from behind the pile. She was around Hornet’s size in an orange dress with vibrant wings and long red antennas falling behind her back. An amulet was hanging down her white mane.

 

Hornet stared at the stranger and her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait…you’re…a moth,”

 

How was that possible? All of the moths had disappeared a long time ago!

 

“I certainly am,” The lady smiled and gave a curtsey. “My name is Merla,”

 

Hornet frowned, feeling uneasy with the predatory glint hidden in the stranger’s dark eyes. Her gaze flickered briefly to the old bug and her face hardened. “What’s wrong with him? What did you do?”

 

“Quick to accuse, aren’t you?” Merla taunted and a grin stretched across her lips. “But since you’re so curious, how about I just show you,”

 

Hornet immediately took out her needle, watching her enemy produce a pair of jagged blades. The moth then launched herself, gliding through the air.

 

Hornet took on a defensive stance as her enemy attacked with a flurry of slashes. Her blows came with surprising speed and viciousness, but the protector was quick to recover from the surprise and struck back.

 

Their weapons clashed relentlessly, giving neither a chance to catch her breath. Jumping back, Hornet reached inside her dress and threw a bomb, forcing the moth to take off into the air.  

 

“Hmm, not terrible, but I shouldn’t be wasting this much time playing with you,” Merla whipped out a handful of strange glowing pink flares and launched them down at her.

 

Hornet dashed across the field, evading the assault from above and managed to catch Merla in one of her threads. All tied up, the moth fell through the air and crashed roughly into the ground.

 

“What were you saying?” Hornet taunted back. Wasting no time, she rushed over with her needle in hand, ready to finish her off when the moth suddenly managed to free her hand and flung another of those glowing blades in her direction. There was no time for her to dodge it this time. She expected a sharp pain exploding in her chest, but what happened was something entirely different.

 

A pink hue washed over her surroundings and distorted her vision. She tried to stand straight, but her head won’t stop spinning. _W-what’s happening to me?_ She found herself falling to her knees as if she had no control over her body.  

 

The moth lady slowly came into her view with a satisfied smirk, peeking down at her. “No use fighting it, dear,” she slowly reached out and placed her hand on Hornet’s forehead. _“Now just hold still and let me in,”_

 

Hornet screwed her eyes shut as her mind became a buzzing mess. Countless faces flashed behind her eyes, voices rang out louder and louder as if trying to speak over each other through the noise. She felt as if her head would split in half from the pain.

 

An old memory was suddenly forced through her mind over the others.

 

_She was sitting alone in a corner, hugging her knees and needle cast aside. A familiar face looked down at her reassuringly._

Eyes widen, she lurched back with a cry and knocked the moth’s hand away. The haze, the voices, all of it disappeared.

 

“Stop resisting!” Merla hissed, growing frustrated and pulling out more of those glowing daggers. Hornet was ready this time and knocked them away with her weapon.

 

“I’m not letting you do that again,” she gritted out, panting.

 

Merla glared at her and stepped back before her sharp grin returned full force. “Heh, you’re as stubborn as they get, but sadly I would have to continue our little fight another time. I’m needed elsewhere, as I’m sure you are,” she said, much to Hornet’s shock. With a sigh, a pink glow flooded Merla’s body and she vanished in a flicker of light.

 

Looking around to make sure her enemy was truly gone, she let the tension leave her body and she reached for her forehead, trying to steady herself. Her head was still throbbing. She needed to get out of here and find a safe place to recover. She glanced over to old Gorin who was completely oblivious to the fight that just transpired.

 

Wasting no time, she jumped up and threw her needle, disappearing back into the darkness.

 

**XXXXXXXX**

 

“There are plenty of buried legends in Hallownest, of events and bugs nobody was meant to know about. I could say the story of Lord Hura is such,” Lemm began, rubbing his beard if trying to recall some old memory. “Somewhere in the far corners of the kingdom there used to live an ancient, strange being that could bring the wishes of beasts and bugs to life. Through SOUL? Magic? Nobody knew how, but he was believed to be a survivor from the forgotten kingdoms before ours. Many sought him out to have their desires fulfilled and burdens taken away, and he did just that. He was admired by everyone who met him and some even thought of him more highly than the Wyrm himself,”

 

“Wonderful, now tell us the part where all of this goes horribly wrong,” said Tiso.

 

“I’m getting there. Don’t rush me!” Lemm snapped.

 

 _How were these two not getting along again?_ Ghost thought while looking between them in puzzlement.

 

Quirrel scratched his head, confused. “I can’t say I can imagine how this could turn out badly. What you just described sounds truly marvelous,”

 

“You were there at the capital, weren’t you? You saw what happened. That was all just the work of one wish, so imagine what a dozen or more could do when _anyone_ was allowed to make one,” Lemm explained and Quirrel’s face fell at the mere thought. “I won’t hide it. It was _catastrophic_ and most of those wishes ended up backfiring,”

 

Cornifer hummed thoughtfully. “So…they got to have what they wanted for only a short time? How did this _Lord Hura_ feel about that?”

 

Lemm gave a dry laugh. “It’s cute you think he had anyone’s best interests in mind when granting any of those wishes. Some told me it was all a coincidence or a result of poor judgment by the wishers while others said the wishes were always meant to backfire and the nasty fiend was feeding off their greed and despair that whole time, but interpretations vary on that point and so on,”

 

“What happened afterward?”

 

“Hura had apparently grown in power and, for whatever reason, challenged the king for his throne, but the Wyrm and his knights barely managed to take him down. However, Hura’s servants got away with his wounded form before he was captured. The king’s knights searched for them for years, but no trace of them was ever found. When Seron came to me in my shop, he gave me the same offer to make a wish, so that could only mean the old fiend has finally returned,” Lemm said with an amused shake of his head.

 

“As if everything else wasn’t enough,” Elderbug sighed dejectedly.

 

“What now?” Quirrel asked. “If what you’re saying is true then we might be in grave danger,”

 

“How am I supposed to know?” Lemm growled, throwing his arms in the air. “That’s everything I know and all of it is just snippets from stories I heard from travelers ages ago,”

 

A grim air fell over everyone. Ghost thought over what happened to the City of Tears and then recalled the monsters that attacked them, finally realizing exactly where they were coming from. They approached Lemm.

 

“What?” he huffed.

 

“Your relics….something in them?”

 

“Wait, they spoke! I-I wasn’t the only who heard that, right?” Cornifer stammered excitedly, looking between his stunned wife and Elderbug.

 

Ignoring them, Lemm raised a brow at the knight. “Not that I would recall,”

 

“Look again, might help,” they suggested, making him scowl.

 

“What am I? Your fetcher bug? I can’t search through all those relics. _You_ out of everyone would know how many of them are there!”

 

“In that case, we could offer our assistance,” Isleda said.

 

“Hold on! _I_ did not!” protested Tiso.

 

Lemm ran a hand through his beard, considering the idea. “Assistants, eh? Fine, I expect everyone to be at my doorsteps by morning. No stalling or delays,” with that, the old relic seeker turned around and walked away, presumably to look for a house. “Goodnight,”

 

They all watched him leave in stunned silence. “I…I might have some regrets,” Isleda admitted.

 

“Is it too late for me to get away from here?” Tiso asked the knight.

 

They nodded and he groaned.

 

**XXXXXXXX**

 

Ghost didn’t really sleep, at least not in the same sense everyone else did. They usually looked for a place to sit in order to regain their power, only half aware of their surroundings. Very simple and easy.

 

They were glad they did not sleep because there was no way on earth they could in this condition. Between Quirrel occasionally shifting in his place and Tiso sprawled over the bench snoring louder than a centipede chewing on wood, they realized they were completely fine with that fact now.

 

Sighing, they took out their nail and kept it within reach. They might as well keep watch tonight. After that monster attack this morning, there was no knowing if another might happen at any moment while everyone was asleep.

 

The irony of their situation was not lost on them though. Just earlier tonight at the Dining Nest, they were planning on searching for the source of those creatures attacking everyone, but the answers found them instead.

 

It’s strange how things worked, they supposed. They came to these wastelands to answer the calling and now they were on a quest to save them.

 

Ghost ended up staying there for hours with nothing but the soft wind and the glow of the lumafly lamp-post, updating their map and going through the entries in Hunter’s journal until they sensed a subtle change in temperature, signifying it was day time. They felt movement on their left and looked over to see Quirrel rubbing his eyes, awake.

 

“Good morning,” he said, yawning.

 

“Um, good morning?” they replied, awkwardly. He looked at them amusedly and leaned back against the seat; gaze up at the cave ceiling.

 

“Things were quite hectic yesterday, weren’t they?”

 

“Yes,” Their gaze returned to the journal in their hands.

 

“This kingdom is just full of surprises. It never ceases to amaze me. You and I wandered its hallways and tunnels for days; the temples, the Canyon and the…old Archives, yet we still find secrets buried underneath our feet,” he mused, staring at the vast landscape. “I suppose that’s what makes discovering things such a pleasure,”

 

They shrugged in response and flipped to the next page.

 

“But…what happens when there is nothing left to explore? When you find everything you were looking for?”

 

Ghost froze and glanced at the scholar in confusion. His eyes were tired as he gazed at the empty wastes. It was the same distant look they saw on him before, but could never figure out.

 

“Quirrel?” they murmured quietly.

 

“Ah, sorry!” he blinked and gave them a sheepish look. “I...I don’t know what came over me. I guess I’m still worn down from last night,” he laughed, but clear unease was still present in his voice.

 

The knight didn’t know what to say to that. They weren’t sure what they _could_ say to that. The two of them simply sat there awkwardly until another voice cut in.

 

“Could you two _please_ keep it down?” Tiso said, still in his sprawled position, but had his head turned with a tired glare pointed at them.

 

Quirrel grimaced. “Oh, I apologize. We didn’t mean to wake you,”

 

“Never mind. This bench was terrible for my back anyway,” he massaged his back, hissing. “Seriously, I don’t know how anyone is supposed to sleep on this thing,”

 

“Well...the Elder of the town _did_ give us permission yesterday, so why didn’t you stay over in any of these houses?” Quirrel asked, pointing at all the abandoned homes.

 

The ant stiffened and looked flustered for some reason. “Um, I knew that, but….back in my colony we –we didn’t really move into someone’s house if they…passed away or something like that. The houses usually just stayed abandoned and we built ours either around or on top of them,” he put one hand over the other to demonstrate.

 

“What? Why is that?” Quirrel asked, blinking in surprise.

 

Tiso’s eyes darted around frantically. “Because….we were always told that remnants of them would still be residing there…resting,”

 

“You mean a phantom?”

 

Tiso’s hand flew over Quirrel’s mouth. “ _Yes, that!_ Now enough about this,” he crossed his arms and looked away, face burning.  

 

“Fine, fine,” the scholar smiled, patting him on the shoulder. Tiso grumbled something in return.

 

The knight meanwhile was gazing down at their feet while the two continued talking.

 

_Ghost_

That was what Hornet called them during their first meeting. An apparition, something that wasn’t entirely _there_. And then there was ‘the shadow’ by the Snail Shaman. So many different names, yet they all gave the same idea. The knight never really thought much about them and what they meant at the time.

 

“You’re still there, little squib,”

 

They snapped out of it when they felt a finger tapping on the top of their mask. Tiso was leaning from behind the bench, looking down at them blankly. “What?” they muttered.

 

He jabbed his thumb at something behind him. “Cranky Grandpa just called for us. Quirrel already left,” they glanced over to see the empty space next to them.

 

He leaned closer and whispered. “They think I don’t know, but I can smell someone had snuck some sweet cakes in there and I _will_ get my hands on them,” he grinned and patted them on the back urgently. “Now come on, hurry up,”

 

They pushed themselves off the bench and followed him toward Lemm’s new shop. It was rather similar looking in design to the other houses around the town with a few lights decorating the exterior. Quirrel was standing in front of the house talking to Lemm and Sly who somehow obtained the biggest pair of reading glasses the knight had ever seen.

 

“Hello there, I’m glad to see you back in one piece, wanderer. I heard about what happened and came over to help,” said Sly, fixing his glasses. “It also gives me an excuse to finally put these things to use,”

 

“I’m really starting to think you two like keeping me waiting. I’m not getting any older than this if that’s what you want,” Lemm grumbled.

 

Tiso blinked, puzzled. “Why would we want you…?”

 

 Lemm then held up a hand at Ghost. “As for you, I need you to remain here,”

 

The knight paused at that and even the other three looked surprised.

 

“Mister Lemm, you can’t let everyone in and leave them out here. That’s not fair!” Quirrel protested.

 

“Yes, even though they are kind of a nuisance, the little squib is still a part of this group,” Tiso added firmly.

 

“Tiso, that’s not helping!”

 

“As much as agree with the nuisance part, it’s not the reason I told them that. I need my relics back and they are still…carrying them,” Lemm rubbed his temples as if he couldn’t believe what was he was saying.

 

“Oh,” the knight placed a hand on their stomach, wondering how they forgot about that.

 

“Um, what?” Sly muttered.

 

“Now, out with them and they better be in good condition!” Lemm demanded, hands on his hips.

 

“Oh no! I’m _not_ putting up with this again!” Tiso exclaimed and scrambled to the door, nearly tumbling his way in.

 

“What’s happening?” Sly asked again, looking back and forth between the three.

 

“Um, I’ll go check on him,” Quirrel smiled uneasily and followed the ant.

 

“Enough, tell me what are you panicking about?” the shop keeper demanded. Ghost pulled out a carved statue from underneath their cloak, nearly the same size of them. “Oh…never mind,” he turned around and went inside.

 

The knight tilted their head in confusion and proceeded releasing everything they consumed from the old shop.

 

**XXXXXXXXX**

 

The second everything was moved inside (except the Geo which Lemm told them to hold onto until he built a new place to keep it in) they were instantly buried in journals, worn-out dairies and old news reports about the city.

 

Ghost lowered the old dairy they were given with a sigh after staring at the pages for what felt like an eternity. Remaining crumbs from Isleda’s small cakes and a steaming cup of tea was sitting untouched by their side.

 

It had stung when they tried dipping their hand into it.

 

All around them were the sounds of chatter and shuffling of paper notes. Lemm was taking care of most of the translating while the rest were left to gather whatever details they could find and show it to him. His mood didn’t seem to improve as the day went on though and would often grumble things under his breath in that language they weren’t familiar with.

 

Cornifer left his wife’s side to approach him. “This is really odd. Despite how well known you made him out to be, there doesn’t seem to be anything mentioned about a ‘wish granter’ at all in any of these reports,” he noted skeptically, looking down at the parchments in his hands.

 

“It should be no surprise, honestly. Something tells me the royal family didn’t want anyone learning about Hura and seeking him out for his power so they erased every record of his existence in Hallownest,” grumbled Lemm.

 

“That’s not going to help us find out more about him then,” Cornifer sighed.

 

Ghost turned to Elderbug next to them. Despite how stressed everyone was, they were surprised to see a small smile almost hidden from sight on his lips.

 

“Hmm? What is it, little one?” he asked when he noticed their long stare.

 

“You’re…smiling,” they murmured, puzzled.

 

“Oh,” He blinked as if he didn’t realize it and gave them a sheepish shrug. “Um, I’m aware these are dark times for everyone, but I’m just…happy to see this many bugs here again,”

 

The knight followed his gaze to everyone in the room, Cornifer laughing at something his wife was showing him, Tiso sneaking his hand toward Lemm’s plate only for the relic seeker to smack it away without looking from his book and Sly looking ready to glue his glasses to his head to keep them from falling off again.

 

“This town has been empty for so long. It’s strange to think this was once a lively place. You probably won’t believe there used to be festivals and annual feasts held here in Dirtmouth. _I_ have a hard time believing it myself. Such times feel so far away now,” he turned to Ghost and lightly patted their head. “I’m also glad to hear you talking us, young one. Finally overcome your shyness?”

 

“Um…” Ghost still had no idea how they could speak to begin with, but they nodded anyway.

 

That was the other thing. They may have been unsure about being able to talk yesterday, but now every time they showed their new ability to someone they became filled with something close to…excitement, giddiness they never felt before. They found themselves paying more attention to the way everyone spoke and murmured the new words they heard under their breath.

 

They looked over to check on Quirrel and Tiso who were sitting in a corner surrounded by notes. The scholar’s eyes were scanning each journal with utmost intrigue and focus while the other was slumped against the wall in defeat.

 

“Did you learn anything?” Quirrel asked him offhandedly, eyes locked on the text.

 

“Yes, I know what it’s like to fade into nothing,” Tiso replied.

 

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Quirrel snickered and reached for his teacup. “It’s really not that bad. Besides, you’re new to this kingdom, right? Try to see this as an…opportunity to learn more about it,”

 

Tiso groaned and pulled at his own cheeks. “What am I even doing here?! I should be out there fighting champions and becoming a hero! All those _months_ of training and here I am…reading an entire page on some mantis tripe’s courtship dances!”

 

Quirrel chocked on his tea.

 

Sly burst into laughter and fell on his side. Ghost glanced at him and it was then they noticed someone was peeking at them through the crack in the door, Bretta.

 

Sitting up, they made their way over to her, but she disappeared the second they were outside. Confused, they gazed around until they noticed the shiny object left on the doorway. It was a white charm with two lines going across it and purple dots for eyes. Picking it up, they realized it wasn’t like the ones they came across. This one was a bit messily made, clearly by someone who never done this before.

 

Whenever they sat on the bench with her, Ghost recalled the girl sneaking shy glances at them while they were picking out their charms. They had a feeling this was meant for them. It probably won’t have any special uses like the others, but they slipped it under their cloak anyway.

 

Another hour had passed until they got a lead.

 

“I found something!” Lemm shot up and showed them a small red seal with a strange six-winged symbol on the back. He read what was engraved on it out loud. “Beyond the ring of water, all sorrow shall be taken,”

 

“What does that mean?” Quirrel asked, inspecting the item in his hands for any hidden clues. “Are you sure this has something to do with what we’re looking for?”

 

“I can’t say for sure, but this is the closest thing we got to a lead all day,” Lemm quickly snatched the seal back. “I did what was needed of me, you had your fun, and now I would like you all to leave me alone to my antiques,” he said, walking away with it to the window.

 

“Wait, did we just go through _all of that_ for nothing?!” Tiso fumed, crossing his arms.

 

Quirrel shook his head, rubbing his chin. “I have no doubt that Lemm’s finding did have something to do with Hura. It will be too much of a coincidence after what he told us last night. We just need to figure out what that line meant,” he said, mind already racing. “From the sound of it, the seal was referring to a place of some kind,”

 

“Yes, but it could anywhere for all we know!” Tiso argued. The scholar sighed.

 

“True,”

 

Ghost quickly reached for their map and scanned it. There were still a few places they had yet to visit around the kingdom, but there was no time to explore every one of them.

 

Suddenly, Lemm called out. “Hey, I’m not sure how I missed this last night but does your town annually hold demonic carnivals?” he asked, looking through the window. “If so I might change my mind about moving to this place. Getting cursed is the last thing my day needs,”

 

It took a moment for the knight to realize who he was talking about. “Travelling circus,” they told him.

 

“Don’t trust them,” Elderbug said at the mention of the troupe before walking out of the door with other the townsbugs.

 

Actually, the thought of them gave the knight an idea and they hurriedly took the seal from Lemm’s hand.

 

“Hey, give that back!”

 

“Wait for me,” they told Quirrel and Tiso before dashing away across the town. The massive tent of the troupe gave an eerie red glow as soft music danced along the wind. They made their way to the side of the ten where they saw a group of Grimmkin flying around Brumm while he played his accordion, but their gaze continued moving upward where a tall shadow stood on top of the tent.

 

As if sensing their presence, the shadow turned and his eyes glinted, vanishing vanished in a flicker of flames and appearing on the edge of the roof. “Welcome back, small one. How did you fare on your quest?”

 

Grimmchild flickered into existence and flew up to him. The troupe master scratched its chin and it made a pleased noise in return. “I see you’re taking good care of my child, but it’s not ready,” he sat down, disinterested. “So what brings you here then?”

 

“Do you know where this is?” Ghost held up the seal out for him. The troupe master clearly had been around far longer than anyone in this town and travelled around the world. He had to know something.

 

Grimmchild flew down and took it in its mouth before flying back to Grimm. “Hmm, someone seems chattier than usual,” he noted slyly before examining the seal quietly. A light smirk played across his face. “I see. I suppose this explains all these disturbances I keep sensing around this empty kingdom,”

 

He rested his head on his fist while he played around with the seal in his other hand in slight boredom. “What you’re looking for is Red Grove, a town hidden in the far depths beneath us. It’s a long trip,”

 

“Uh, map?” they asked.

 

“I don’t have one, but I can think of something else,” he glanced down to the other member of the troupe. “Brumm, show them the way,”

 

“Yes, master,” replied the musician as the Grimmkin around him disappeared with disappointed groans. The knight looked at Grimm.

 

“I’m only doing this because I would rather you return to your search for the other flames sooner than later. The ritual needs to be completed,” he replied. The knight was about to leave when he called again.

 

“By the way,” Ghost turned to Grimm. “If you run into old Hura, send him my regards,”

 

With that, he vanished from sight. Ghost stood there for a moment caught off guard before slowly heading back to the town with the large musician right behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of the drawings if you have seen them. I’ll be doing more as the story goes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I can’t say how often I’ll be posting new chapters since I tend to get busy a lot, but I’ll try to get as many done whenever it is possible.


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